Haunt Review: Field of Screams Haunted Stadium

When I went to ScareLA in August, there was a room dedicated to mini-haunts that would be coming out this Halloween season. Being such a fan of haunts, I was excited to see what the West Coast would have in store for me in regards to haunted attractions. Upon entering the room, I was immediately attracted to a haunt that had a billboard with glowing green eyes. I made my way over and entered their mini haunt and was blown away. Their haunt was not only creepy but it was also an attraction/ride – something I had never really seen before. I knew that when the haunt season came around I was going to have to experience their full scale haunt. I’m so glad that I was able to as it became one of my favorite haunts this season.

The Field of Screams The Haunted Stadium is located in Lake Elsinore at the Diamond Stadium. I have been to many haunts in many locations (ships, warehouses, psych wards, etc) but I had never been to one in a stadium before. I was able to check out their progress prior to opening night of the haunt and it was such an incredible transformation. They literally changed the entire stadium walkway into 5 haunted attractions along with a coffin ride. From the moment I walked into the stadium to the minute I left, I enjoyed every bit of my time and was impressed with all the hardwork and dedication that went into putting together such an amazing haunt. Here is my review for their 5 haunted attractions:

Cannibal Island 3D
I’ve given 3D houses a lot of shit in the past, but after going through Cannibal Island 3D I’m willing to reconsider. Hands down, this was one of the best 3D haunts I’ve ever gone through. I had gone through the lights on tour earlier that day and nothing really stood out to me as being amazing but damn was I wrong. The minute those lights went out and you put on those 3D glasses, everything changed. The scare actors were great and sometimes you didn’t know if you were looking at an actor or a mannequin. The set design was absolutely incredible. I don’t know how they achieved a lot of the effects that they did, but whatever they did certainly was working for them. I loved that you couldn’t see where the scare actors were coming from which upped the tension. Literally this house was done perfectly. It was creepy, it was fun, and it was 3D done well. Upon exiting the house, I was giddy and excited. I don’t know if they will do a 3D house next year, but I do hope they will. What also made this house a lot of fun, was the special attraction for those who purchased Fast Pass tickets. We were able to go in a special line which brought us into a room where we stood all alone. The lights went out and the room started to shake. If may not seem like much but it was incredibly fun and nerve wracking as you had no idea what was going on and all the lights were off. Once the ride stopped and the doors opened, you were led to the Cannibal Jungle; it sort of reminded me of taking a small plane to a jungle and though you may have landed safely you now realize how doomed you are on land.

Exorcism Reborn
When I had attended ScareLA, The Haunted Stadium had done a mini-haunt of Exorcism Reborn. Again, if you had a Fast Pass, you were allowed to enter the house through a different door which brought you into a church scene. We were asked to sit on church pews as we watched an Exorcism take place. Unbeknownst to the majority of the people on the pews, the church pews started to rock and go up and down. It was like you were on your own mini-ride! It was exhilarating and fun and everything was in sync with the exorcism that was taking place in front of us. Upon exiting this, you were then thrown into a world of evil nuns and possessed individuals. I had found out that there had been some controversy with this maze due to people being upset about certain acts that were happening which could be described as blasphemous. My thoughts on the whole thing is if you are coming to a HAUNTED ATTRACTION you should be prepared for anything. Granted, if they were sacrificing a real life virgin, than yeah, maybe I would be upset, but honestly, they were doing what anyone would do in a haunt to scare you and push you to your edge. Also, the scare actors in this maze were terrific. Besides the ones hiding around the corner, they had actors that were hanging upside down from the rafters. You never saw them coming. Overall, I enjoyed this house and as a Christian, I liked that it pushed my buttons a bit. Haunted Attractions should be doing that.

House of Nightmares
Out of all the haunts at The Field of Screams The Haunted Stadium, I found “House of Nightmares” to be the creepiest. Upon entering the maze, you are given a flashlight – don’t worry you don’t need to know when to turn it on because it does so on it’s own. However, it also shuts off on its own. So really, you are being controlled by a flashlight as to when it’s going to shine some light or not. I absolutely loved that. As you are going through the maze, you see scare actors screaming to you for help – to please take them away before “HE” comes back. I’m not entirely sure who “HE” was but I knew I didn’t want to stick around for when he returned. The whole maze is very disorientating because the majority of the time you are walking through pitch black hallways. To some people this may not seem like a good time, but for me, I loved it. You never knew if you were going to run into someone or something and that brought the scare factor up high. If you are afraid of the dark then this house may not be the one for you but if you liked being scared and you like not knowing whats going to be around the corner than you were in for a real treat.

Holiday of Horrors
When I did my lights on walkthrough of this house, I was really excited. We were going to be entering into the horrific world of holidays! Not only did I love the concept but the art work that one of the artist on the design team did was amazing. I figured this was going to be one of my favorite houses but unfortunately it didn’t rise to the occasion for me. I won’t say it’s a complete dud though – I mean we got to get our pictures taken with a creepy Santa Claus as well as see some people get scared shitless by an evil Easter Bunny. However, some of the rooms were lacking scare actors which made the experience lackluster. I think if the house was filled with all the scare actors that it needed it would have been exceptional and I’m chalking up the whole experience to this maze just having an off night. I would be interested in seeing this maze again next year with just a little more oomph put into it. I think the concept is great and the maze just needs some tweaking. I will say though, that Easter Bunny in the Easter run was creepy as hell and I keep picturing him in my head crouched down and ready to attack…

In conclusion, I really loved The Field of Screams The Haunted Stadium. I laughed, I screamed, I was chased, and I was buried alive in a coffin. What more could you ask for in a haunt? It is very clear that The Haunted Stadium is something that Jon Parry (Twisted Scare) and Zach & Jeromy Ball (The Bloodshed Brothers) put a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears into. It’s also apparent how much they love what they do. I loved that they are pushing the envelope by adding in attractions to their haunts as its something I have never seen before. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the next couple of years as I think they are on to something great. They may be closed for the season now but make sure next year you get a ticket to The Haunted Stadium. You will not be disappointed.

For more information on The Field of Screams The Haunted Stadium check them out on Facebook, and on Instagram and Twitter as hauntedstadium.

Also, make sure to check out Nightmarish Conjurings Facebook as we will post pictures from our time at The Haunted Stadium!

Author
Recent Posts

Follow Me

Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

Follow Me

Latest posts by Shannon McGrew (see all)